SILENT RECORDS CATALOG

Winter 1995

As our followers in the northern hemisphere breathe a welcoming sigh with the arrival of the cool breezes of Fall, we here at Silent continue about
our task. You see, we've been chilling here for quite a while. Over the
past months Silent has birthed a steady stream of unique ambient waves;
the Silent vision takes form, a form that is becoming increasingly
recognizable and prominent. Still, we elude the formulaic, as the
depth-tanks of our oh-so-fertile lab may have been plumbed, but they most
certainly haven't been exhausted. We invite you to sample the multitude of
forms Silent assumes, whether it be in the dark convulsions of Furnace, in
the seductive pulse of Flask, or in the aqueous depths of Silent's
trademark ambient.

Our brand-new website, which should be robust on Christmas Day, will continue to be constantly updated and will be an ideal compliment to the comprehensiveness of this plain vanilla catalog. There you will find full color cover art and 15 - 30 second long MPEG sound bites so that you can sample our releases before you buy.

We encourage you to linger about and explore all that entices you.

AMBIENT

Heavenly Music Corporation - Anechoic
This CD is the fourth in the series of experiments into musical
spirituality and introspection. Recording in a room that once housed a
mainframe computer, Kim Cascone evokes the attitude of his roots in the
mainframe computer. "Morton Subotnik meets Entropica" is how Cascone
describes this beatless yet culturally amazing array of sounds.

Mantaray - Numinous Island
In an essay titled "On Numinous Objects and their Manufacture" Peter
Blegvasd describes a numinous object as being a "mirror of the spirit" and
the "radiant focus of the entire world." Both are true in the case of this
sensuous new ambient work by Susumu Yokota and DJ Ray. Yokota is a
prolific and well-known electronic composer who has released work on the
Harthouse and Space Teddy labels, and DJ Ray spins at parties in Goa,
Sydney, and Tokyo. Together they bring you on a journey to an island that
radiates with the harmonic patterns of nature that gently discharge
themselves in to you subconscious.

Spice Barons - Future Perfect State
As their first release since "Spice of God" on From Here to Tranquility I
and their only full-lenth cd, the Barons assemble their disparate and
advanced talents together to unleash an ambient salve upon the
post-industrial world. From beginning to end, Future Perfect State is a
moon-walk, evoking motion without weight as you move through an ambient
landscape that oscillates between soothing complacency and spiralling
inspiration.

Arthur Dent and Deeper than Space - Drift
Turning their vision away from the techno/trance of Brilliance for a
Better Future and even the gorgeous ambient of DTS' Earth Rise and
Spaceship Melody, the two collaborators in Drift burrow deep into the
minimal and frozen world of vast space. Reminiscent of Cosmic Trigger in
its ability to transmit the suprematist radiation that burns luminously
without heat, Drift is ice-olationist ambient and all of its
stripped-down riches. It is the enactment of the very same theories of
physics that postulate the absence of matter in favor of fields of energy
and potential.

Vuemorph - In Expectancy of the Monumental Awe
Working under many other project guises and previously only releasing one
track as Vuemorph entitled "Mindtime" on Silent's From Here to Tranquility
2, Handrabur again dons the Voemorph cloak this time to create a
full-length composition of patterned textures and floating substance.
Indistinct and cyclical, In Expectancy is Dan Handrabur's emotional
gesture that irrigates the senses with non-menacing cerebral pulses and
melodies.

Alaura - Sacred Dreams
The latest collaborative project of the once-core Psychic TV member Alaura
is a documentation of text and context, one in which a two histories --
both of the San Francisco
ambient scene and of an artist whose backgroud is so very complex as to be
nearly untraceable -- are captured in the coruscate flash of this work. It
is a record that meanders from deep-fathom synth washes to trance-like
ritualistic rhythms, bolstering and transforming Alaura's Cosey-like
oneiric vocals, while gesturing towards what once was -- and what may be.
(SR9575)

Heavenly Music Corporation - Lunar Phase
Following two critically acclaimed releases, HMC's newest material recalls
the more liquid state of In a Garden of Eden and "Riding Windhorse
(Buddhafields)," a track from Consciousness III In this realm where the
organic meshes with the synthetic and waking thought morphs into a dream
state, HMC describes its music as an environment and views its evolution
within the ambient community as meta-designers who prefer "context" to
"content." Lunar Phase itself was inspired by the satellite-broadcast
radio station in St. Giga, Japan, which transmits ambient music 24-hours a
day in conjunction with the movement of the tides.
(SR9571)

Heavenly Music Corporation - Consciousness III
In an attempt to rekindle the psychedelic qualities inherent in ambient
music, the Heavenly Music Corporation has re-invented itself as a 'tweaked'
version of ambient for the second release, Consciousness III. Never
satisfied with the narrow definitions of ambient, the Heavenly Music
Corporation wants to keep ambient music in a progressive state of
evolution. In its will to evolve, Consciousness III is a gentle kick
against the aural amb-niotic sack that encloses us all. Drawing on
influences from Aphex Twin, Ken Ishii, and Sun Electric, HMC invites you
into their system, to explore, to dream, and to expand your consciousness.
(SR9458)

Heavenly Music Corporation - In a Garden of Eden
Originally created for the Space Age Lounge, a technomystical chill room in
Goa, India, the Heavenly Music Corporation's first release is a
tranquilizing hybrid of ambient ambient electronics and oscillating trance
tones. With comparisons to the Orb, Brian Eno, and Tangerine Dream, In a
Garden of Eden quietly shatters the preconceptions of what ambient is
supposed to be. HMC "revels in undulating synths and sheets of synth
flowing over the brain." --Creem Magazine
(SR9335)

Psychic TV - Kondole
Always in a state of flux, Psychic TV's extensive discography acts as a
series of cultural signposts from the conception of industrial
experimentation through psychedelic pop songs to acid house. Kondole is a
mysterious and fantastic release of experimental ambience originally
released incomplete with only two parts. This reissue contains the final
movement inspired by the plight of two captive dolphins in San Francisco's
Golden Gate Park.
(SR9332)

Deeper Than Space - Earthrise
Earthrise was conceived and channeled by Adam Douglas (Deeper Than Space)
after experiencing UFO sightings and alien contact during the summer of
1993. Perfect for the chill room or personal relaxation, Deeper Than Space
has created an ambient epic of trance inducing bliss. "Earthrise is a
liberator, it has lifted you up, elevated your attitude and raised the
ambient ante to new altitudes where whole lifetimes are packed into one
single song." --Hypno. Be sure to look out for the soon-to-be-released
Spaceship Melody Remixes, a full-length Flask CD release of reworkings of
one of the most elusive and haunting tracks from Earthrise.
(SR9344)

Cosmic Trigger - Polar Regions
After 20 years of meditative mining, Tor Af Storvatten and Piitu Lintunen
embarked on a spiritual quest through Northern wastelands and Norse
mythologies that led them to Chalmers University in Gotenburg, Sweden.
According to the liner notes, these two Nordic visionaries coincidentally
met up with A.M. McKenzie (The Hafler Trio) and Zbigniew Karkowski, who
were working in Chalmers and agreed to help record this album. Af
Storvatten and Lintunen's research has led to this austere collection of
shimmering ambience and profound ascesis that is capable of elevating one's
state of being on all levels.
(SR9345)

Michael Mantra - Sonic Alter
After numerous cassette-only releases, Michael Mantra brings his "brain
synchronization" techniques to compact disc. In utilizing recording
techniques that help synchronize the frequencies of the left and right
sides of the brain, Mantra creates a medium for electronic meditation for
relaxation and improved health. Headphones necessary for full-effect.
(SR9449)

John C. Lilly - E.C.C.O.
John C. Lilly is one of the most important trailblazers of fringe science
as a neuro-scientist, the inventor of the isolation tank, an interspecies
communicator, a psychedelic pioneer, and inspiration for "Altered States"
and "Day of the Dolphin". His philosophical musings are presented here in
his own voice over the breathtaking production from Yasuhiko Suga, Tetra
Tanizaki, and Tetsuya Ishikawa, along side the luminous soundscapes by
Spice Barons and Heavenly Music Corporation. "As there is so much to write
on Lilly alone, the CD is something that is a must for those willing to
open their minds to new ideas." --Net Magazine
(SR9452)

Various Artists - Unidentified Floating Ambience
The title says it all, as an outstanding collection of tracks from Spice
Barons, Patternclear, Hydrosphere, and Astralfish. Beatless swirls of
euphoric sound stimulation hover above and ambient backdrop culled from the
sounds of life. Kim Cascone (Heavenly Music Corporation), Don Falcone, and
Paul Neyrick (all working with Spice Barons & Thessalonians) have orchestrated this unhurried and beautiful disc that stimulates the landscape of the mind.
(SR9454)

Trancendental Anarchists - Cluster Zone
If you didn't get a chance to hear Trancendental Anarchists' track on From
Here to Tranquility II, your next window of opportunity has arrived.
Emerging from the Sydney underground in Australia, Trancendental Anarchists
lull the listener into the mysterious dream like otherworld of the Cluster
Zone. Occasional rhythm tracks pulse along side trippy sound effects for a
slow mystic journey of sound and imagination.
(SR9462)

FROM HERE TO TRANQUILITY SERIES

Various Artists - From Here to Tranquility Volume I
From Here to Tranquility delivers a fantastic mix of ambient music from
some of San Francisco's greatest masters of sedation, including Psychic TV,
Michael Mantra, The Heavenly Music Corporation, Space Time Continuum, and
many more. "When the majority of 'ambient' material is lazily indulgent and
ill-conceived, there is a clear need for music that is pursuitist, instead
of escapist. To find it, you should start looking here." --Generator
(SR9336)

Various Artists - From Here to Tranquility Volume II
Proving true that the ambient movement has gained momentum beyond the chill
room, Tranquility II picks up where volume one left off, presenting
spacious ambient and trance tones from Pelican Daughters, Trancendental
Anarchists, Air, Single Cell Orchestra, and many more!
(SR9343)

Various Artists - From Here to Tranquility Volume III
It's time for another journey From Here to Tranquility. Following in the
brilliant series, Tranquility III will chill your soul with heavy ambient
attitude. From the entrancing sounds of Dialux Rouge and Ohmegatribe to the
trance inductions of Anti House and Entrancing Iris. This CD will take you
to tranquility and back again. "Volume 3's artists uphold the great
tradition of conscious neurological experimentation with a nice variety of
different percussion, thoughts, and transmissions." - XLR8R Magazine.
(SR9460)

Various Artists - From Here to Tranquility, Volume IV
The latest Tranquility transmission assembles the global ambient community
in a single plush harbor of aural bliss. With artists from France, Japan,
Italy, the UK, Los Angeles, and - of course - San Francisco, Tranquility
4 is not only a tour of ambient states, but also of styles ranging from
ambient collages to trance to the ethereal ambience that are the trademark
of the Tranquilit> series.
(SR9473)

ISOLATIONIST / EXPERIMENTAL

Skozey Fetisch - Momma:Key
A project composed in the old school "musique concrete" technique, which
means that the entire piece was constructed using razor blades and standard
cut & paste editing on 1/4" tape -- a painstaking process which is even
more impressive considering this piece is over an hour in length. The
composition is a mature first outing for this young composer who draws as
much inspiration from fine art as he does the sound of contruction sites.

Operation Mindwipe - Instrumental Transkommunikation
"The science of transforming the energy of the dead into an audible and
visible image." This release combines the roots of experimental industrial
with creeping subsonic lyering. This brainchild of Darryl Hell assisted by
Mike Roberts (both of Abstinence) and Rob Psychotrope (Syntax Error) is a
must-buy for those weary of the worn-out
repetition of bass drums.

PGR - The Morning Book of Serpents
Lost and forgotten tracks that have been gathering dust in PGR's tape
vault. The material here runs the range from dark and brooding
soundscapes that conjur up English Moors at night to the more experimental
difficult material that PGR has been known for. Three of these tracks were
supposed to come out on the Japanese PGR CD entitled "The Hole of Unknown
Depth" but never saw the light of day. An interesting item for collectors
and people interested in the historical roots of "Isolationism." "This CD
is so ambient it makes all others shrivel up and decay." -Obin Robinson,
WSUC-FM.

PGR - A Hole of Unknown Depth
Right after the release of Morning Book of Serpents, we received a fax
from Noctovision in Japan saying that, after five years, they were finally
releasing this CD! We only have a limited supply, so order now.

Mariann Kafer - Animalfarm
MK is an electronic/experimental duo initiated in 1991 within the Franch
experimental underground. The music is similar to Operation:Mindwipe and
PGR and is designed to remove you from your comfort zone of aural safety
and introduce you to the various regions of Mariann Kafer's reality.
Exuding frenetic frequencies as diverse as the animals that inhabit our
planet, the audible words of the animals of land and sea coalesce. We
invite you to the Animalfarm.

Arcane Device/PGR - Fetish
Reconstructed noise through feedback and sampler techniques to amazingly
subtle ends, PGR and Arcane Device have compiled a swirling collection of
electronics. "I have rarely been as excited about a CD as the Arcane
Device/PGR CD... Both Arcane Device and PGR have taken 'industrial' music
out of the ghetto and given it fresh substance, new direction." (Edward
Ka-Spel/_The Legendary Pink Dots_)
(SR9009)

PGR/Merzbow/Asmus Tietchens - GRAV
Not unlike the Surrealist parlor game of exquisite corpse, GRAV is the
end result of an uncharted collaboration between three prolific
experimental sound artists. GRAV is a haunting trip into the internal
combustion of modern industry as seen from the three cultural contexts of
Japan, U.S., and Germany.
(SR9114)

Phauss/Karkowski/Bilting
John Cage would smile upon the intensity boiling through these five aural sculptures by Phauss, Zbigniew Karkowski, and Ulf Bilting. The harsh
minimalism of Karkowski and Bilting's compositions counterpoint the subtle
yet complex musique concrete delivered by Phauss. The result is a
compelling conceptual play between sound and thought.
(SR9217)

PGR - The Chemical Bride
As the last documentation of PGR, which has now evolved into the Heavenly
Music Corporation, The Chemical Bride is an aural equivalent of alchemy,
the transmutation of sound through light and dark forces. "PGR's Kim
Cascone consistently creates distinctive and appealing ambient works. This
disc, with its beautiful otherworldly sounds and interesting compositions,
is no exception." --Option
(SR9218)

Arcane Device - Trout
The tenth and final report from David Meyers (Arcane Device) exemplifies
the limitlessness of Arcane Device's feedback machines quietly running
amok. i/e Magazine describes as "totally absorbing, with even more
mysterious textures and sound flowing out from the moster cables and diodes
of Meyer's humble bank of generators."
(SR9331)

Various Artists - Come Again II
Featuring many of the pioneers of Japanoise (Merzbow, Null, Violent Onsen
Geisha, Solmania, and 19 other artists), demonstrates the
flexibility of brute force as performed under the clever disguise of music.
AA guaranteed kick in the head compliments of The Land of the Rising Sun.
On the Furnace imprint.
(SR9342)

Illusion of Safety - Water Seeks Its Own Level
Dan Burke and Jim O'Rourke pool their talents as the sole members of
Illusion of Safety, choosing familiar themes to the I.O.S. catalog. Water
Seeks Its Own Level bitterly documents the absurdist American fascination
with violence through harsh electronics and dark ambience. "Mr. Burke is
really starting to explore the studio as a weapon to create frighteningly
murky textures." --ND Magazine
(SR9351)

King Felix - Owl Plane Crash
King Felix, the self-proclaimed premier new music composer of Miami, has
painted upon aural canvases void of size or shape, mixing ambient,
experimental, and industrial genres onto his palette of noises for a vastly
intriguing collection of songs.
(SR9450)

Phauss - GodTPhauss
As "a short history of acceleration and deceleration, of distortion and
purification, and of autocratic ethnic and religious harmony", GodTPhauss
is a journey of reworked material from live performances. Phauss'
minimalist experiments of ambient concrete display disturbingly subtle
shifts, similar to the current work of the Hafler Trio (not surprising that
the members of Phauss have worked with the Hafler Trio.)
(SR9459)

ORGANIC AMBIENT

Jeff Grienke - Lost Terrain
Greinke's music is of ghosts, of shimmering reflections, and of ethereal
radiance. Lost Terrain creates mysterious aural images that as i/e
Magazine noted, "react, collapse, fold inward, and arise gradually like a
slowly-awakened phoenix."
(SR9219)

Jorge Reyes - Neirika
This is a breakthrough release for Jorge Reyes as he has bridged the
ancient shamanic elements of pre-historic culture and modern electronics.
Reyes hosts a trance inducing ritualistic ceremony for the listener. His
music is a timeless cultural imprint of a civilization near extinction.
(SR9326)

Solitaire - Ritual Ground
Solitaire is the collaborative project between the music ambient masters
Steve Roach and Elmar Schulte. Ritual Ground's seven deep and languid
compositions resonate from the Earth itself, swelling and sweeping through
ancient landscapes; these are ambient tapestries for the mind's eye. "This
is serious, important instrumental music, certainly worthy of deep
listening" --Downbeat
(SR9341)

ELECTRONICA

Deeper Than Space - Current
DTS takes you through the worlds of ambient and electronica and even
touches on a little trip-hop and ambient jungle. Parts of sound
like Aphex twin, while the ambient trip-hop track sounds like a piece from
the Ninja Tunes catalog. This is the kind of diversity that defines
ambient music.

Dreams Without Number - Logarithmic
Fresh from collaborative work with Deeper Than Space's Adam Douglas, DWN's
Darren Cutlip summons in Logarithmic a forge fiery enough to fuse
together his own disparate influences (ranging from experimental noise to
My Bloody Valentine and Coil) in series of heady atmopheric ambient swells.

Ambient Temple of Imagination - Sonic Acupuncture
Richard Sun and Seofon return again as A.T.O.I. to exhume the wisdom of the
ancients and pass their apocryphal secrets into the eager and burning
hearts of mortals. This double cd has two components: "Sonic Acupuncture,"
which is a continuation of Mystery School and "Elusinia," which was
recorded live at a performance in San Francisco. A devout believer in
occult spirituality and non-western methods of mind expansion, Sun forges a
portal through the aureole that envelops our cosmos into the eternal
ecstasy of the divine. Be a part of it.

Ambient Temple of Imagination - Mystery School
A.T.O.I. bring a spritual knowledge through magick, shamanism, and alchemy
to a series of intense ritualistic ambient tracks. "A.T.O.I. have been
responsible for some of the most innovative and successfully experimental
ambient environments we've had the pleasure of experiencing." --Clublife
(SR9466)

Thessalonians - Soulcraft
Thessalonians have woven an other worldly fabric with the threads of the
present and past influences: ethnic, industrial, experimental, jazz,
ambient, trance, and acid house. Soulcraft is a dynamic hybrid traveling
from the landscapes of the Orb to the throbbing trance of Coil. "On
Soulcraft... we are given a glimpse of a new frontier unfolding in their
music, where matters of the spirit are reflected in the manipulation of the
machine." --CMJ
(SR9334)

Pelican Daughters - Fishbones and Wishbones
Hailing from the flourishing experimental sound scene in Sydney, Australia,
the Pelican Daughters have brought to the U.S. a stunning hybrid of
industrial dance, psychedelia, ethnic musics, and ambient noise. Their
music exists without boundaries as P.D. member Andy Rantzen explains: "The
goal of good music is always the same: to deny the existence of moral
stricture and insist on the primacy of the most basic human feelings and
fantasies."
(SR9115)

Various Artists - Tox Uthat II
The brilliant follow up to the critically acclaimed Tox Uthat compilation
featuring Drome, Nuf, der Spyra, Alpine Vortex, Tapeworm, and Capslock.
"This compilation is a completely consuming listening experience with
intricate layers of sound and harmonies that weave absolutely beautiful
textures. There are no disappointments on the disk, only discoveries."
--Net Magazine. #3 on KSFR Santa Fe's "SUPER HOT ABSOLUTE BEST TOP FIVE"
list. "The best compilation of ambient trance music to date. Not a bad cut
on this CD." --Dwight Loop, DJ
(SR9465)

INDIE AMBIENT

Closedown - Nearfield
Experimental walls of guitars and distortion are decorated by bass, drums,
and (surprise!) vocals. Mixed and produced by Kim Cascone of Heavenly Music
Corporation. "Emerging from the gaping currents of pure-drenching spectral
etherialism, Closedown's newest material will pin you down permanently with
swelling whirlpools of brilliant sound." -BLOW Magazine.
(SR9469)

TECHNO/TRANCE

Ohmega Tribe - Anodyne Wisdom
A configuration of Italy's Lost Legion Alien Collective, Ohmega Tribe
produces hypnotic sounds and trans-dimensional rhythms that eloquently
enlighten us to the true significance of the word trance. Employing a wide
variety of ethnic voices and sounds within the system of western harmonic
structure, Ohmega Tribe reconcile the timeless and the technological with a
rare directness and simplicity.

Various Artists - Lost Legion Sampler
Compilation featuring hypnotic ambient/trance from Italy. "Fluid, gaseous,
aqueous, telekinetic and extra-sensorial, the Lost Legion Alien Collective
works and creates with the same rhythm and movement of cloud formations and
stalactites. It's and ever-mutating working process with an unerring,
mathematical structure of absorption: digitized stream of consciousness
through psychological osmosis and physical impulses." -Lost Legion
Collective.
(SR9470)

Drome - Anachronism
Anachronism is the first release from Drome, who apply the cyberactive
manipulations of their alter-ego Some More Crime to a more techno mindset.
Unhurried ambient passages of metallic melodies compete with dense
industrial beats to form this eclectic and infectious release.
(SR9224)

Various Artists - Tox Uthat
Compiled by the DJ's at Toxikktrackks in Germany, Tox Uthat is a
well-engineered collection of cutting-edge dance tracks featuring stunning
works by Horizon 222, Orange Sky, Cirrus Minor, Nonplace Urban Field,
Cosmic Breeze, Mindope, and Brain Unlimited. "This CD provides an appealing
mix of textures, timbres, rhythms, and vocal samples and supplies the
subliminal under context of mystery which can make this type of music
rewarding as a pure listening experience." --Option
(SR9329)

Various Artists - 199303
This "collection of technologically advanced trax", compiled by techno
wizards Adam Douglas and Thad Jones, features the best techno/acid artists
from the San Francisco Bay Area. From pounding break beats to bleepy acid
trance, 199303 has been described by Generator as "the current soundtrack
to urban western existence." On the Flask imprint.
(SR9337)

Earth to Infinity
Licensed from Source Records in Germany, Earth to Infinity is a brilliant
ambient techno disc that floats from Orb-esque ambient soundscapes to
Psychick Warrior ov Gaia styled trance progressions. This CD is limited
edition, so grab them before they're gone or you'll be stuck with import
prices!
(SR9448)

Various Artists - Brilliance for a Better Future
Created in the hi-tech computerland of silicon valley, Brilliance for a
Better Future is a sign post in the technological continuum of "state of
the art" sounds, resulting in an infectious collection of lo-fi intelligent
techno. Shaping new sounds out of the old, Adam Douglas and Thad Jones have
delved into the bedrooms and garages of the San Francisco Bay Area to
expose the creative forces previously unheard. On the Flask imprint.
(SR9455)

CYBER-INDUSTRIAL

Syntax Error
A unique vision of Cyber-Industrial music that pushes the boundaries of the
stereotypical gloom and doom that permeates the marketplace. Syntax Error
maps the unexplored recesses of the human psyche. The audio manipulation
techniques employed by SE work towards reconciliation of the man/machine
paradigm, fusing the analog and the digital, the synapse and the circuit
into a seamless whole.

Dismembered Quietly - Exquisite Tenderness
Thick rolling bass and driving danceable beats toppeed with heavy
synthesizers, more like the early years before there arose a formula in the
U. S. for industrial music. DQ hail from Norway and bring us European
industrial in the vein of early Front 242, Front Line Assembly and Nitzer
Ebb, laced with modern concepts, beats and experimental sounds.

V/A - Hellscape 2
Volume 2 picks up where volume 1 left off, further distorting the barriers
of the elektronik/experimental mindset. This is a worldwide alliance of
some of the most interesting E/E projects. From environmental pieces to
hard pounding dancefloor, this CD is relentless in its depth and
furiousness. Includes Syntax Error, Abstinence, ATD onvention, E. C. M.,
Dave Scott, Anstalt, Permutation Test, Yarn of the Moonfruit, and Martyr
Colony.
(SR9598)

Various Artists - Hellscape
Compiled by Darryl Hell of Abstinence, the Hellscape sampler introduces
the new face of Silent's Furnace imprint; it is a hellish one indeed. With
the likes of Institute of Technology, Abstinence, Industrial heads,
Dismembered Quietly, ATD Convention, Pounce International, and Terminal
Sect, Hell has assembled an aggressive lineup of hard-core, electro,
ambient industrial, and sinister dance tracks that prove we are not in a
post-industrial society.
(SR9574)

ATD Convention - Cyber Relations
Out of the Canadian electro vanguard emerges ATD Convention to drill a
view-hole into the psyche of cyber-psychosis and deliver a foretaste of a
dark Baconian future where technology brutally dominates nature. Using
cutting-edge production techniques in order to expose technology's own
nightmarish viscera, ATD Convention pledges allegiance to the marginal, the
prefabricated, the random and, ultimately, the experimental.

Industrial Heads - The Fear and Anguish at The End
No more need to speculate about what today's industrialist will experience
during the final seconds before death: The Fear and Anguish at The End
records it and makes it accessible on a deceptively simple-looking 4 3/4"
compact disc. The Norwegian sextet Industrial Heads hammer together
slamming beats with the choked cries of the modern world and its machines
in the tragic motion of a desperately outstretched arm.

Abstinence - Theorem
Even with the recent explosion of artists on the Furnace sublabel under the
aegis of Darryl Hell, Hell proves that he has not sqandered his own
creative lifeblood elsewhere, but has saved his vision for Theorem.
Again with Mike Roberts and John Bechdel, Hell surgically inserts cruel
instrumentation and innovative samples into rhythmic spasms with a skill
outdone only by his uncompromised will-to-experimentalism.

Abstinence - Revolt of the Cyberchrist
Loathing the lack of experimentalism that U.S. industrial bands (actually
just guitar bands with samplers) regurgitate, Abstinence unleashes a
furious assault of pounding rhythms and sample ridden Surrealism with a
unique assortment of power tools, metal percussion, and hand made
instruments. Spearheaded by Darryl Hell and Mike Roberts with assistance
from John Bechdel (of Prong, Killing Joke, Pigface, etc.), Abstinence's
debut on the Furnace imprint reinvigorates the industrial genre with a
blistering mix of experimentalism and electronics.
(SR9440)

AVANT GARDE

Elliott Sharp - Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Yahoos
Melding shards of avant garde, jazz, mainstream pop, etc., Elliott Sharp
has concocted a visceral combination between Russ Meyer's phobic visions of
American sexuality and violence with 'Gulliver's Travels' in the land of
the savage yahoos, resulting in a humorous and excoriating soundtrack to
the American landscape. Features Samm Bennett, Eugene Chadbourne, and
Anthony Coleman.
(SR9220)

Crawling With Tarts - Madaleine
Drawing upon sources ranging from geometrical compositional processes to
memory theory, Crawling With Tarts continue to dodge musical categorization
as they have done for years. Renowned for their unique sound that is
profoundly conceived and executed with naive calculation, CWT shuttle back
and forth between the art and the musical world with a worldly mixture of
pop, avant garde, jazz, and the physics-based uncertainty principle.
(SR9472)

FIFTY YEARS OF SUNSHINE COMPILATION

Various Artists - Fifty Years of Sunshine
On April 16, 1943, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann accidentally ingested a
minuscule amount of a substance he was researching, and began experiencing
strange hallucinations and visions that lasted several hours. The substance
was LSD-25, and the experience was the world's first acid trip. Silent
Records presents a double CD set celebrating the 50th anniversary of this
momentous occasion that led to notable change in the artistic and spiritual
arenas of western culture. Fifty Years of Sunshine features 22 visionary
artists including Timothy Leary, Psychic TV, Hawkwind, Nurse With Wound,
Pelican Daughters, etc.
(SR9333)